Christian was a friend of mine, we worked and played together at l Academie d Ete a Nice . He was a fantastic musician and an a very great person

The greatest violinist on Sibelius Violin Concerto for ever!

Today it is exactly 30 years ago that Christian Ferras died. Rest in peace, maestro.

Ferras will be remembered forever for the absolutely best performance ever of the Sibelius violin concerto with Herbert von Karajan.

You are right. Only Ferras has played this as magnificently as he has done it. He poured his whole soul to the music of Sibelius. Magnificent rendition.

I love the tortured, frenzied and grieving character Ferras gets here. It is the musical equivalent to bawling your eyes out. This concerto is like a fever-dream when Ferras plays it. I've never heard anyone play it quite like this before; It is certainly very unique.

I heard a Russian violinist play this on Performance Today, Public Radio, the other day and I had to come back and listen to this performance. Once you are exposed to this Fire you can never hear this concerto by anyone else without some level of dissatisfaction. No one else goes to the very edge and reaches into the heavens seeking answers like Christian Ferras. They play the notes and forget to Burn. Ferras has an internal fire here that is a mix of the infernal fire of Hell, and the Light of Heaven. The poor russian kid sounded like a frightened little girl compared to this Beast of expression. God I love this recording, and that it's live is amazing. Ferras is the Franz Klammer of the violin. I'll bet Zubin Mehta remembers this well. He did a great job here too.

Unique sound and outstanding interpretation which we cannot find among the contemporary violinists.

I agree with you 100%. Ferras perfectly played this concerto well. He poured his soul, his whole mind and his whole personality like no other violinists ever did. I play the violin myself.

Ferras was such a unique violinist and so gifted.

Yes, Ferras gives us the Inferno, Pergatorio and always lots of Paradiso!

Christian Ferras puts so much life into this work. I love the opening. Another person I loved playing the Sibelius is Neveu.

He owned this piece.

Christian Ferras est bel et bien en état de grâce et n'oublions pas l'exceptionnelle qualité de l'orchestre et de son conducteur! bravo! cet enregistrement est un grand cadeau:-merci!

The only Interpretation that makes me cry...

beautiful Christian Ferras.... this is Sibelius ' s best imterpretation

Ferras was the most fantastic violinist. I also have his Double Brahms recording with Pall Tortellier.

1:50-2:20 Simply perfect. That section always gives me chills

Every version of the Sibelius is good. I really enjoy every single performer's interpretation which is quite unique and special!

that note on :29 is MAGIC. I could listen to the first minute of this concerto over and over and over and over again. love it.

ferras is really one of the best violoinist ever, if you dont agree with this, just listen the franck sonata

Man, Zubin Mehta is sooo young in this video. Christian Ferras adds such a wonderful touch of color in this work. I'm not going to say this is the definitive recording, but I rather enjoyed it.

what powerful sadness and darkness, the tragedy music can express, without words, and magically tears streaming down a noble face.

I feel the chill wind on my cheeks when I listen to this piece! It's amazingly sincere, beautifully played, and I'm sure it reflected Sibelius' way of hearing the concerto.

OMG. So visceral and virtuosic. This performance reaches in and fills my soul with pathos and beauty...

WOW, this guy is a legend, his technique is very impressive! I played the violin myself for several years in high schoo, I enjoyed it even though it was very hard. But this guy makes it look so easy! His playing is flawless, this is a beautiful performance!!

The double stop at 3:37 is unmatched by anyone.

no wonder his music is so sorrowful! I never felt so sad by listening to this music before...

how can someone like him with this expression and this vibrato is not described as a Legend yes there is Menuhin Heifetz but this is the best version I've ever heared of this concerto, what a vibrato so expressive

Suffering in life can be turned into something beautiful. You have to experience some hard times in your life to be able to play like this.

Quelle merveilleuse interprétation. Quelle sensibilité, quel talent !!!!

LA VERSION ! avec celle qu'il a enregistrée avec le philarmonique de Berlin ( Karajan). Au delà des notes et de la musique même il atteint à l'expression pure de sentiments (romantiques voire expressionnistes) qu'il nous transmet à un niveau artistique à ce jour inégalé pour cette partition.

Interprétation et sonorité sublimes pour une partition magistrale ! Bravo et merci.

What a joy to hear the magnificent interpretation of Christian Ferras. Thank you!

Heart-breakingly beautiful.

i cant breathe the intensity is so strong

While this is one of my favorite renditions of this piece... it does bother me that he is consistently sharp. He is certainly the most heartfelt though. You need to have experienced LIFE to play this piece, and he does a fantastic job.

WOW; this is just electrifying! All movements by Ferras are simply magnificant, especially the 2nd... I'm simply awe struck!!

Tremendous performance. I still remember his outstanding performance of the Brahms Concerto in November of 1971 with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, van Otterloo conducting. Breathtaking! I was playing in the orchestra.

one of the best violinsounds what I ever heard.

Best performance ever

Essa é a mais fantástica interpretaçao desse maravilhoso ViolinConcerto do grande Sibelius. O Ferras imprime uma densidade incomparável nessa interpretaçao. Toda a dramaticidade de Sibelius estao aí, magnificamente. Atualmente, vi, com muita felicidade, um jóvem interprete armenio, Sergey Khachatryan [ 30 anos], numa performance tambem fantástica desse concerto. De todas que já vi foi a quem mais se aproximou do grande Ferras.

Many thanks for this video and the other movements. I will treasure them forever

perfect for these changing seasons; deeply moving

wOW I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, THE SONG IS BEAUTIFUL, I WANT TO CRY, THIS SONG AND THIS INTERPRETATION ARE EXCELENTS GOOD BLESS YOU Sibelius AND FERRAS!!

THAT"S THE WAY TO PLAY THIS CONCERT !!!! PASSION FIRE and PASSION once more !!!

Thanks Sam Lee! Another great video of a magnificent artist.

talk about intense! this is simply amazing. what a magical performance.

Blimey!!!! This is so....PERFECT!!!

NAILS! This is awesome. I love this!

hearing this has made me fall in love with the concerto, i cant find any better interpretation

I just absolutely love this... wish I could someday play this :) And Ferras is unbelievable, his version is so moving... And Sibelius is simply marvellous, proud to come from Finland :)

Beautiful, it is easy to follow the interpretation, the soloist and orchestra. !!!See the vibratos!!! It's incredible the good quality of sound.

The solo from 3:36 made me fall in love w/ the violin all over again when I heard it on the radio (it became my "valentine" so- to-speak").

Mmm What a wonderful performance. I've never seen Christian Ferras before, but he does an absolute malevoling job on the sibelius and find it joyous to listen to! Thanks for posting.~~

Just listen to the material the maestro has to work with! SIELIUS FOREVER!

by far my favourite violin concerto of all times :)

Phenomenal performance. Ferras was a very wonderfully gifted musician; he died too young.

thank you for your information, badstringer. and yes Ferras is very emotional with his playing. He is probably one of the most passionate players I've ever seen. I admire his expressing of total emotions with his musicality.

It could be any number of factors. Sometimes, it is perfectly acceptable to clap if deeply moved by a performance. And Ferras' performance of this piece is sublime. It could be a cultural thing at the time he played this, or it could be an audience that just didn't know. I like to think that people were so moved from the performance that they felt they should let Ferras know how he did.

This interpretation is my favourite, great Ferras!

Remembering CHRISTIAN FERRAS, who died on this day in 1982.

Great Cadenza!!!! So much passion...

Perfect interpretation and a beautiful sound!!

Breathtaking performance !

This is a unique version of this concerto. You can not compare with any actual young violinists. I can compere only with Oistrakh. But for me this is the best version of this concerto.

what a performance and what a conductor!

I saw this piece played in concert in October, and I couldn't blink the entire time. The people around me were either crying or simply not breathing. the soloist was Henning Kraggerud, and the only word I can use to describe it was perfect.

..how beautiful !!!

My god, I was completely enthralled watching this; it is so intense.

holy cow. Awesome. Love it. Also, totally love Zubin Mehta.

There is no better reddition of the Sibelius Concerto than Ferras': and I have all the recordings.

going to see this performed live next week!!! super excited!!!

People have a list of things you have to do before you die. Here is my top 5: 1.) Listen to Sibelius Concerto as performed by Mr. Ferras. Listen to Shostakovich's Romance from the Gadfly. 3.) Listen to Rachmainov's Concerto no. 2 in C minor for Piano. 4.) Learn to love someone (different from FINDING someone to love) 5.) Read and understand the poem, The Cloud by Percy Bysse Shelley.

This was a tremendously great performance. Ferras was a fantastic violinist.

Maravilloso , el sonido de Christian Ferras es único.

wow simply amazing ^__^ :) you have 2 love this

me too, the vibrato was the first thing drew my attention! hehe... but I love the fluency of his playing, it takes you into it

I have a live recording of this by Izack Pearlman with the BSO back around 1977. I recorded it live off a simulcast. I still have the cassette tape. This is the only performance of this that comes close to the way I prefer it performed. Well done and nice post. Thanks

Ferras wasn't as well-known or given credit of his gift of violin as he should. The overall structure and interpretation of Ferras is very haunting and in common with Heifetz they both have a very distinctive sound

thnxfor uploading:)

perfect harmonics perfect. harmonics perfect harmonic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GARGHH! They clapped in between the movements!

I love it!!!

ah sibelius.. i love his music.. sort of brings me back to my country.. =)

This interpretation comes in second in my book. Ferras brings something very sweet to this piece that others cannot match.

7:27 is one of the best violin solos that i ever heard

very inspirational!!!

Amazing, just amazing. Wonderful performance, wonderful composition. Agree on the note on :29-ish

impresionante, maravilloso, sin palabras....

My oncle Zubin is conducting. Very young ! Merveilleuse version du Sibélius avec Ferras. Marc Tettiravou.

Si, el más grande tocando este hermoso concierto para violín de Sibelius

NOoo! they say that this video is not available anymore? my favorite sibelius recording!!

the rubato at the end is unnerving and beautiful. sublime. i think what made ferras a real genius is what ought to define, but doesn't, i'm afraid, our modern virtuosi: interpretation. nowadays this or this is how a piece is to be played, no exceptions. i've never heard the 1st movement played like this. thanks for uploading :)

so poignantly beautiful.......

Heard Joshua Bell playing this piece on WQXR-FM while driving this a.m. VERY nice! Anybody else like J.B.?

outstanding.

He knew how to cleanse the soul! He knew how to get saltwater from my eyes!

thanks, i've never heard of his version

Bravo Magnífico.